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Cibona convincingly beat Virtus for a fifth straight league win
The Wolves settled the city derby with a 26-13 second quarter and won 98-67; Bart led Cibona with 18 points, and McGill was the best scorer after three quarters
On Sunday, 25 October, the Wolves beat Zagreb side Virtus 98-67 at the Dražen Petrović Basketball Centre, in front of around 400 spectators, in Round 5 of the SuperSport Premier League, for their fifth win in five league games.
Cibona started with Lončar, McGill, Bart, Serdarušić and Hepa, while Virtus opened with Krajina, Kalajžić, Barnstable, Radović and Krušlin. The Wolves played this game 48 hours after a tough outing against Krka, and were led from the bench by assistant coach Roko Anzulović.
The opening stretch was basket for basket, with neither side able to pull away. After a Mazalin basket made it 11-10, Virtus called a timeout, and Cibona took the first quarter 20-18. Mazalin (seven) and Hepa (five) stood out for the hosts, with Kalajžić (six) and Krušlin (five) leading the visitors.
In the second period, Cibona moved up a gear. Gnjidić, Badžim and Sikirić ran off a 7-0 burst for a 27-18 lead, and after Krajina cut it to 27-20, the Wolves pushed the margin to double digits at 29-25. They won the quarter 26-13 and went into the break leading 46-31. By then Badžim had 10 and Mazalin nine, while Kalajžić was Virtus’ best with 11.
In the third quarter Cibona kept its double-digit lead and entered the final ten minutes ahead 72-48 (the quarter went 26-17). McGill had 15 points at that stage, with Krajina and Kalajžić on 11 each for Virtus.
In the closing stretch the Wolves stayed in control and won the quarter 26-19. The game’s top scorers were Bart with 18 and Pešić with 14 points.
Cibona assistant coach Roko Anzulović said after the game:
“Congratulations to the guys on the win, and 48 hours after a tough game against Krka, which took its toll. At the start you could see our legs were a bit heavy, but the moment we raised our aggression on defense, the score just kept climbing. Once again, congratulations to everyone, and let’s get ready as well as we can for Igokea.”
Cibona player Vigo Bart added:
“Congratulations to Virtus on a fair and honest fight. It was a good game, and in the first half they didn’t give in. In the second half we agreed to put in more speed. We stepped up the defense, ran more, built a gap and held it. We also managed to rest our starters.”
Virtus head coach Vladimir Krstić said:
“Congratulations to Cibona. We played really well in the first quarter, and in the second we fell apart because of the players who came off the bench without fight or desire. That’s where I was angriest, at halftime. You can lose, but you can’t fail to do the basics and not fight. Cibona won the loose balls, dominated the boards and played well.”
Virtus player Mate Kalajžić added:
“Congratulations to Cibona on the win. In the first quarter we held our own as long as we could, but given that we’re a young team, we have nothing to look for in games like this other than giving everything and waiting for our chance. We didn’t manage to get it, and we move on. We’re thinking about the next games.”
The Wolves are back at the Dražen Petrović Basketball Centre this Friday, 30 October, at 18:30, hosting Igokea in Round 6 of the AdmiralBet ABA League.
